Tuesday, July 02, 2013

Russia codifies extreme anti-gay bigotry

By Michael J.W. StickingsWhile I respect the position Russian President Vladimir Putin is taking on the whole Snowden saga, there's really nothing else I like about the guy, and more and more it looks like he and his ilk want to turn their country into a right-wing dictatorship resembing the fascist states of old. For example:

Russian President Vladimir Putin signed into law [on Sunday] one of the most draconian anti-gay laws on the planet.

It is now literally illegal in Russia to say that you are gay. It is
illegal to kiss your partner in public – say, after you win a gold
medal. It is illegal for a gay athlete to wear the rainbow flag. Or
even to acknowledge during an interview that they are gay – or for the
foreign press to acknowledge it – unless they mention that gay sexual
orientation in a negative way.